>DSU>5 

A^H3 



H3 



IrtGt 



>4 H3 
>py 1 






FOR MORE AND HARDIER 



ALFALFA 



IN THE 



NORTHWEST 



THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA 




Agricultural Extension Department 
International Harvester Company of New Jersey 



CHICAGO 



USA 



SB 20S 

.A 4- A? 



copyrighted 1914 by the 

Agricultural Extension Department 

INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY 



APR 13 1914 




©CI.A372385 



FOR MORE AND HARDIER ALFALFA 

IN THE 

NORTHWEST 



Alfalfa now being successfully grown in every county where 

tried intelligently. — The value of this crop is not 

appreciated. — Alfalfa and corn with 

live stock means prosperity 

for the Northwest 



By J. G. HANEY* 
Agricultural Extension Department, International Harvester Company of New Jersey 



While alfalfa is one of the oldest known agricultural plants, 
it is apparently just beginning- to be recognized and its true 
value appreciated in the western hemisphere. The land devoted 

to alfalfa in the United States at 
present is between five and six mil- 
lion acres or an area about equal 
to the small state of New Jersey. 
It seems strange to those who are 
familiar with this wonderful plant 
that as late as the beginning of the 
twentieth century it should come, 
as it does as an agricultural revela- 
tion. 

Alfalfa is successfully grown in 
every state in the Union and in 
most of the provinces of Canada. 
It is grown below sea level in the 
valleys of California and on alti- 
tudes of more than eight thousand 
feet in the mountains of Colorado. 
It is quite safe to assert that 
alfalfa can be grown successfully wherever small grains are 
now being grown in the northwest. 




J. G. Haney 



* Mr. Haney has charge af demonstration work in the Dakotas and Minnesota, 
for the International Harvester Company of New Jersey. Requests for additional 
copies of this bulletin and for information on local conditions should be addressed 
to him at Grand Forks, N. D. 

A E38 



4 Alfalfa Should be Grown On Every Farm 

History 

The alfalfa plant is designated by many different terms- 
alfalfa and lucern (the latter being the French name) are the 
most common. It has been cultivated as a forage crop for more 
than twenty centuries. It is believed to be a native of the cen- 
tral district of western Asia and is still found in an apparently 
wild condition in the regions of the south Caucasus. 

It was introduced into Greece at the time of the Persian war, 
about 470 B. C. The Romans carried it from Greece to Italy. 
From Italy it was introduced into Spain and the south of France. 
It was carried from Spain to Mexico at the time of the Spanish 
invasion, and thence to the west coast of South America. It 
was brought from Chili to California in 1854, and from there it 
spread over the arid regions of the Pacific coast where it is now 
cultivated almost to the exclusion of other forage plants. It 
was introduced into the state of New York as early as 1820, but 
is not yet grown extensively in the eastern states. 

Grimm Alfalfa 

Grimm alfalfa is a very hardy strain, adapted to growing in the 
Northwestern states where conditions seem too severe for the 
common alfalfa. The seed of this variety was brought to Min- 
nesota from Germany in 1857, by a German farmer named Grimm. 
Professor W. M. Hays, while with the Minnesota Agricultural 
Experiment Station about 1890, found Mr. Grimm growing 
this alfalfa and at once began calling attention to its 
hardiness and excellence for Minnesota conditions. Pro- 
fessor Hays stated that at one time they had advised farmers 
it was not worth while to attempt growing alfalfa in the North- 
west as conditions were too severe for it. Mr. Grimm had never 
heard of this advice and in his twenty-five years' experience 
with alfalfa had not yet discovered that it was not adapted to 
Minnesota conditions. A. B. Lyman, of Excelsior, Minn., was 
one of Mr. Grimm's neighbors and perhaps the first to recognize 
the hardiness and value of this alfalfa, and has been very active 
in extending its growth. So valuable is this variety that when 
possible to secure the seed it should be grown in the northwest 
in preference to all others. 

Varieties 

While there are numerous varieties of alfalfa, and more are 
being added each year by selection and introduction, for the 
Northwest, the Grimm alfalfa is proving to be all that could be 
desired. This variety is so well adapted that no one need hesitate 
to plant it, or wish for anything better. 



Alfalfa Increases Farm Values 



Alfalfa seed from Montana also gives very good satisfaction 
in most of the Northwest. It is probable that this seed is a 




A good root system on a 4-year-old alfalfa plant from 
Northern Minnesota, Polk county 

descendent of Grimm or from a source which renders it hardy. 
While it is not to be expected that much can be accomplished in 



6 



Alfalfa The Most Profitable Farm Crop 



acclimating alfalfa in a short time it is very reasonable to ex- 
pect that seed which is produced in the Northwest will be more 
hardy than seed from a Southern climate. 

The alfalfa plant is so old and has undergone so few changes in 
the centuries past that the only hope of procuring hardier varie- 
ties is in introducing them from regions with climatic conditions 
similar to ours. The question of hardiness is so important that 
it is considered useless to attempt to grow alfalfa in northern 
Minnesota or North Dakota from seed of the varieties common to 
the principal alfalfa regions. Grimm alfalfa holds first place as 
to hardiness, while seed from Montana and Canada, and from 
the varieties known as Baltic and Turkestan, seem to give 
satisfaction in about the order named. 

Uses and Value of Alfalfa — Feeding Value 

Alfalfa, either green or in hay, as feed for all kinds of farm 
animals, is the most highly nutritious and palatable that can be 
raised in the Northwest. The following table from Farmers' 
Bulletin No. 339 shows its value as compared with several other 
kinds of feed: 

Digestible Nutrients in Alfalfa and Other Forage Crops 



Kind of Forage 



Dry Matter 
in 100 
pounds 



Protein 
in 100 
pounds 



Digestible nutrients 
in 100 pounds 



Carbohy- 
drates 



Ether 
Extract 



Green Alfalfa 

Fresh Clover 

Alfalfa Hay 

Clover Hay 

Timothy Hay 

Cowpea Hay 

Wheat Bran 

Shelled Corn 



Pounds 

28.2 
29.2 
91.6 
84.7 
86.8 
89.3 
88.1 
89.1 



Pounds 

3.9 

2.9 

11.0 

6.8 

2.8 

10.8 

12.2 

7.9 



Pounds 

12.7 
14.8 
39.6 
35.8 
43.4 
38.6 
39.2 
66.7 



Pounds 

0.5 
0.7 
1.2 
1.7 
1.4 
1.1 
2.7 
4.3 



The following table indicates the actual feeding value of eight 
different kinds of feed, based on the amount of digestible 
nutrients contained in them. It will be noted that the value of 
alfalfa hay is slightly more than double that of timothy, and the 
equal of corn. 

Actual Feeding Value of Different Feeds Based on Amount of 
Digestible Nutrients 



Feed 


Value 
per ton 


Feed 


Value 
per ton 


Fresh Alfalfa 


$ 7 00 

5 96 

20 16 

14 12 


Timothy Hay 


$ 9 80 


Fresh Clover 


Cowpea Hay. 


19 76 


Alfalfa Hay — 

Clover Hay .. 


Wheat Bran 

Shelled Corn 


22 80 
20 16 







Alfalfa Out-yields Other Crops 



For Dairy Cows 

Alfalfa is particularly valuable as a feed for dairy cows. When 
properly cured, it has more nearly the effect of good June 
pasture than any other feed. It will be noted that wheat bran 
is worth only slightly more than alfalfa hay, and when the 
palatableness of the hay is taken into consideration, this 




"The Proof of the Puddin'" Cows like alfalfa 
A scene which should be more familiar in the Northwest 

difference also disappears. The dairyman feeding bran with the 
ordinary roughages such as prairie hay, millet, timothy, or corn 
fodder, could well afford to exchange one-half of his bran for an 
equal number of pounds of good alfalfa hay. 

For Beef Cattle 

For fattening beef cattle, alfalfa certainly has no equal as a 
roughage. A large cattle feeder once told the writer that alfalfa 
hay would save him one-half his corn when compared with other 
kinds of roughage. It is generally figured that it will require 
1,000 pounds of grain to produce 100 pounds of beef with mature 
cattle and the ordinary roughages such as prairie hay, corn 
fodder, or millet. When good alfalfa hay is fed with corn, the 
amount of grain required will be reduced nearly one-half. This 
same fact holds true with the feeding of all classes of live stock. 
The alfalfa balances the ration to such an extent that less other 



8 



Alfalfa Balances the Com Ration 



feed is required to make a given gain. This is particularly true 
with young stock, which require a large amount of the growth 
producing element, protein. 

It is remarked that a field of alfalfa is a hog's idea of heaven, 
and the way they respond in gain and thriftiness while pastur- 
ing on alfalfa, indicates that this must be practically true. The 
Kansas Experiment Station has shown that an acre of alfalfa 
will produce 776 pounds of pork during a season. This calcula- 
tion was made by deducting the probable gain due to a small 
amount of grain which was fed while they were on the pasture. 
It is possible to winter mature hogs on good alfalfa hay and 
only a very small amount of grain. This fact should appeal 



1 j i_ 




Alfalfa and corn is all they care for 

very strongly to the farmers of the northwest as there is such a 
long period that the brood sows must be kept up and fed. 

The last cutting of alfalfa should be saved for the hogs as it 
is usually cut greener and contains a larger percentage of leaves. 
Alfalfa pasture is the very first green thing on the farm in the 
spring and remains green all summer. Every farm in the north- 
west should be equipped so as to keep over a dozen brood sows. 
There is no great expense connected with building a hog house 
in which the pigs could be farrowed in early March and be ready 
to begin making use of the alfalfa pasture as soon as it is large 
enough. By the first of September they are just the right size 
to turn into a field of early flint corn which they would convert 



Alfalfa Rich in Digestible Protein 



into ham and bacon at the least possible expense to the farmer. 
At the same time they would be putting this ten acres of land 
into such shape that if seeded to wheat the succeeding- year, the 
yield should be twice or three times the average of the state. 
This plan is gaining in favor very fast in the northwest and is a 
profitable one. 

Alfalfa, both green and as hay, is also fed to horses. When 
beginning to feed alfalfa, care should be taken that horses do 
not eat more of it than is good for them, as it is so much richer 
than other hays. If the precaution is taken to limit the amount 
fed, and also to reduce the grain ration to about one-half, no 
injurious effects will be noticed. Alfalfa hay alone is too rich a 




Spring pigs on alfalfa pasture, J. D. Bacon farm, Grand Forks, N. D. 

What methods more wise could the farmer combine than 

raising alfalfa and fattening swine. (Silo and 

winter stock shed in background) 

feed for horses and cattle. There should always be some grain 
or roughage such as corn, oats, corn fodder, prairie hay, or 
millet, fed with it. When fed exclusively, it is liable to pro- 
duce coarseness, especially in colts. 

The value of alfalfa for sheep is attested by the fact that the 
alfalfa regions of Colorado are full of sheep feeding quarters, 
where large flocks from the mountain ranges are fattened. 

Alfalfa is a great poultry feed, either eaten green from the 
fields in the summer time, or chopped and fed in the winter. 
Chopped hay or meal mixed with a small amount of grain, put 
into a barrel or tub, and hot water poured over it and allowed 
to steam for a few hours, will be eaten as greedily as green feed 



10 



Requisites of Successful Alfalfa Growing 



in the summer time and will have a good effect in maintaining 
the egg production. 

As a bee plant, alfalfa is almost the equal of sweet clover. 
This is a fact that is not fully appreciated, but the heaviest 
yields of honey per stand are secured in alfalfa regions. The 
honey is of excellent quality as is evidenced by its standing in 
the markets. Bees also have a very beneficial effect on the 
seed-producing quality of the alfalfa as will be noted later. 

While the most important use of alfalfa is in producing hay, 
it nevertheless has a place in the pasture mixture. Owing to 
the fact that it is liable to produce bloat, it is unsafe to pas- 
ture cattle or sheep on an exclusive alfalfa pasture; but this 
difficulty apparently disappears when the alfalfa is sown with 
other grasses. Alfalfa roots so much more deeply than the 
grasses, that it will grow among them and be very little affected 
by their crowding. In the northwest, brome grass, timothy, 
western rye grass or orchard grass, may be sown with alfalfa 
with excellent results. About five pounds of alfalfa and the 
usual amount of grass seed should be sown to the acre. 

REQUISITES OF SUCCESSFUL ALFALFA GROWING 

Alfalfa, when well established, is one of the most vigorous 
and persistent of agricultural plants. It will endure weeds, dry 




Sheep are profitable in the Northwest 
a good combination 



Alfalfa and sheep. 



Requisites of Successful Alfalfa Growing 11 

weather, and other unfavorable conditions to a remarkable 
degree. It will also crowd into the edges of alkali spots further 
than most other plants. It, however, responds readily to the 
favors of soil and climate and because of its great value as a 
crop should be given favorable conditions to start in. A deep, 
firm, fertile, well-drained, moist soil, rich in lime, reasonably 
free from weeds, and inoculated, will generally insure success. 
Alfalfa roots very deep and for this reason it is advisable to 
have a soil into which the roots may penetrate and which also 
contains moisture. It will produce as much on a thin, dry soil 
as any other crop, but when there is a chance for it to reach 
permanent moisture through ten to thirty feet of good soil, it 
will, once established, go on producing crops every thirty to 
forty days during the growing season with very little regard to 
climatic conditions. The roots of alfalfa penetrate dry soils or 
dry gravel beds very slowly and often the poorer portions of 
a field will be found to be underlaid by such material. On such 
soils thin seeding will succeed much better than thick, because 
the roots of a few plants will find moisture to penetrate deeper 
and perhaps go through the dry strata while many plants in a 
thick seeding would not be able to do so. 

The Preparation of the Seed Bed 

The preparation of a seed bed is essential mainly as a means 
of storing moisture. When the rainfall is under twenty inches, 
the land should be plowed ten inches deep and summer-fallowed 
or, if the soil would drift from such treatment, a thin planting 
of corn may be grown on the land to prevent drifting. If it is 
not necessary to consider storing moisture it is preferable to 
precede the alfalfa by a cultivated crop, such as corn, potatoes, 
or beans. If possible the land should be manured. 

A Firm Seed Bed Essential 

Alfalfa requires a firm seed bed. For this reason it is not 
advisable to plow the land immediately before seeding, as it is 
almost impossible to get the soil sufficiently firm again. 

In western Kansas, herds of cattle are rounded up and driven 
over the fields to pack the soil after plowing it. If, in order to 
get the land leveled up and in shape to seed, it is necessary to 
plow just before seeding, this plowing should be as shallow as 
possible, and packer, roller, and harrow used to make it solid 
again. Before seeding, the surface of the field should be pro- 
vided with perfect drainage by the use of leveler, grader, and 
plow. Ditches may be made broad with sloping banks, so as not 



12 Requisites of Successful Alfalfa Growing 

to interfere with seeding or mowing. Alfalfa will not grow 
where water stands and freezes over it in winter or gets stag 
nant in summer. 

If good surface drainage is provided so that the crowns of the 
plants have plenty of air and the soil is sweet, there need be 
very little concern as to how deep it is to the water table. In 
regions of plentiful rainfall it is advisable to plant alfalfa on land 
having good natural drainage. 

The land seeded to alfalfa will not need to be prepared again 
for six to ten years, hence, three or four times as much work 
can well be put on it in preparation for alfalfa. A satisfactory 
preparation made on the I H C farm at Grand Forks, N. D., in 
1913, was as follows : 

The land was in wheat in 1912 (should have been fall plowed 
but we did not get the farm until March), was manured during 
the winter, double-disked as early as possible, plowed as soon as 
dry enough (about the middle of May), and plow followed by 
Campbell sub-surface packer and harrow. Wild oats started so 
the land was double-disked ten days later, and harrowed the 
second day after disking. As the land was rather cloddy and no 
rain fell, a frog-foot roller was used. A land leveler was then 
run both ways as the field was full of dead furrows and back fur- 
rows from previous forty years' plowing. The land leveler was 
followed by the peg-tooth harrow. 

About ten days later another fine crop of weeds was double- 
disked and the harrow used later. The middle of June the field 
was harrowed and rolled again with a frog-foot roller, just pre- 
vious to seeding with the grain drill. The single disk drill 
loosened up the surface sufficiently for a soil mulch. Except in 
a few dead furrows which were filled with loose, dry dirt, the 
seed was put in moist soil about one inch from surface. Re- 
gardless of the fact that there was not a rain of one-half inch at 
any one time previous to July 1st, and the rainfall for the sea- 
son was as follows: April, 1.08 in.; May, 1.52 in.; June, 1.21 in.; 
July, 2.86 in., we have a good, thrifty stand of alfalfa. The 
field is even and in fine condition and should continue to yield 
for ten years, though we will doubtless not leave it down that 
long. 

Time of Seeding Alfalfa 

There is little doubt that for the Dakotas and Minnesota, 
alfalfa should be seeded in the spring. Under favorable mois- 
ture conditions, in South Dakota and southern Minnesota al- 
falfa might be successfully seeded after winter rye or wheat, 
though not without considerable risk from dry weather and 
early frost. 



Alfalfa in Rows 13 



The cost of alfalfa seed, and the importance of securing a 
good, strong growth the first year, warrant giving it full pos- 
session of the soil for the entire season. Sharp frosts may in- 
jure or even kill young alfalfa, hence it is advisable not to seed 
until such danger is past. 

In case the land is known to be rather foul, it should be 
double-disked early, and all weeds kept down by harrowing or 
disking until the middle of June or even later. This overcomes 
the weeds and puts the soil in good shape. There is danger, 
however, in seeding later than July 1st, that dry weather will 
damage the alfalfa. 

Amount and Method of Seeding 

There are more alfalfa seeds in one pound than there are 
plants on the average acre of alfalfa that is three years old. 
This indicates that it is not a question of pounds of seed, but of 
securing good seed, and providing conditions that will make the 
seed grow to strong, vigorous plants. 

Only good, strong, acclimated seed should be sown — Grimm 
alfalfa holds first place as to hardiness, and Montana grown seed 
seems to give satisfaction in nearly every instance. There is 
undoubtedly a great difference in seed, though perhaps not so 
much as some advertisements would indicate. The experiment 
stations should be consulted as to kind and source of seed, and 
samples submitted to them for purity and germination tests. 

In the dryer sections on a properly prepared seed bed, five 
pounds of seed per acre sown with a grain drill has given an ample 
stand. Eight to twelve pounds is usually recommended for 
average conditions if the seed is drilled in; if sown broadcast, 
one-half more seed should be sown. If a grass seeder is not 
available to use on the drill, the seed should be mixed with some 
other fine material to give it bulk and prevent leaking and 
drilling too thick. 

Owing to variations in drills, a measured quantity of the 
mixture should be put in the drill and the area of land seeded 
by this amount noted, so as to be certain that the proper 
amount of seed is being put on. Fine screened sawdust, bran, 
cornmeal, or parched millet may be used. Inoculated dirt is 
used when dried in the shade, but is rather hard on the drill. 
Two parts of bran to one of seed, with drill set at one-half 
bushel of wheat per acre, should seed about the right amount. 

Alfalfa seed should not be planted very deep — the depth 
depending somewhat on the soil. If the seed bed is in 
proper condition, sufficiently solid, and moist, one inch should 
be deep enough. The seed bed should be so solid that the drill 



14 



Alfalfa in Rows 



wheels do not sink in more than an inch, which will admit of 
regulating the depth of the disks accurately. The seed should 
not be sown unless the moisture in the soil is within one inch 
of the surface— it is a waste of seed and work to plant in a dry 
soil. Press wheels for firming the soil on the seed in the drills 
are very important. Where there is any considerable amount 
of alfalfa or grass to be seeded on. a farm, there should be one 
small drill, preferably eight-foot, equipped with grass seeder 
and press wheels. One team will handle this drill and a more 
careful job can be done. 

Seeding in Rows so as to Cultivate 

A quite popular method of seeding, especially in the dryer 
sections for seed production, is to plant in rows 24 to 30 inches 



• 






Alfalfa in rows — 7 weeks old from seed — I H C farm 



apart, so that the alfalfa may be cultivated between cuttings. 
This method requires the same conditions as to seed bed, etc., 
as thick seeding. The seeding may be done with the small 
grain drill by simply putting cardboard or boards over the feed 



Alfalfa in Rows 15 



cups which it is desired to have closed. By using- a grain drill, 
there are several rows, depending on the size of the drill, 
exactly the same distance apart — only the joint rows varying 
according to the care in driving. This admits of using a large 
cultivator the same width as the drill. Beans, sorghum, and 
many other crops may be seeded the same way. 

Anything that is liable to deprive the young alfalfa plants of 
moisture or plant food should be treated as a weed, whether it be 
wild oats, pigeon grass, oats, barley, wheat, or what not. 
Under favorable conditions of soil and moisture, a nurse crop 
may not interfere with successfully starting alfalfa, but those 
who have sown alfalfa often, prefer seeding alone. If a nurse 
crop is sown,, it should be seeded very thin— half the usual 
amount, and should be cut early before maturing. Beginners 
had better seed alfalfa alone. 

Treatment after Seeding 

Dashing rains and drying winds are to be feared after seeding. 
The former may run the soil together over the seed, and cover it 




Mowing alfalfa planted in rows and cultivated, 70 days from seed, 
• 1 H C farm, Grand Forks, N. D. 

so deeply that it cannot get out. Dry winds may take the 
moisture from the soil before the roots have taken hold 
sufficiently and the plant be killed. Rain followed by a bright 
sun and wind often crusts the soil so that the alfalfa cannot 
push through — it will be found curled up under the crust. A 
roller, weeder, or harrow may be used to break the crust, though 
such methods are not often satisfactory. 

Generally a fair crop of weeds may be expected to start along 
with the alfalfa. Alfalfa, when once established, is a very 
vigorous, hardy plant, but when young it is not so, and must be 
given every advantage possible. As soon as the weeds are seen 



16 Sow Alfalfa in Well-Drained Soil 

to be getting ahead of the alfalfa and are four to six inches high, 
the mower should be run over it to clip the weeds back. The 
mower should not be run too close to the ground. The alfalfa 
will usually branch from very close to or just under the ground 
after the first cutting, but it is not advisable to cut too close 
unless it is necessary to do so to get the weeds. 

When to Mow Alfalfa 

The mower must be used every two to four weeks during the 
first summer. This is one of the imperatives of success. If 
alfalfa is not mowed often, it grows tall and spindling, often tries 
to bloom and produce seed, turns yellow, and dies. Mowing 
prevents this, and the strength of the plant is used in root 
growth, instead of in trying to bloom and produce seed. 

What is a Stand 

Be very slow about condemning the stand of alfalfa. Quite 
often, regardless of mowing, what appeared to be a good stand 
will seem to have disappeared by fall. Be very careful right 
here. Many good stands of alfalfa are plowed up because they 
do not appear to be what they are. Just leave it until the next 
spring is well advanced. If there is one plant to each square 
foot, there is a surprise awaiting. Where alfalfa has not been 
previously grown, there are good reasons why it may not ap- 
pear to amount to much for the first two or three years. Thin 
patches may be thickened up the second or third year by disk- 
ing and reseeding them. 

Don't Cut or Pasture in Late Fall 

In the Northwest, one of the most common mistakes made 
after a stand is secured, is to leave the field bare by late cutting 
or pasturing. Alfalfa must have a good heavy blanket in the 
winter. There should be a growth of eight or ten inchqs left 
for protection. It should not be cut later than twenty or thirty 
days before the date of the first killing frost. 

So many conditions may affect the late growth that it would 
be impossible to state definitely the date, or the length of time 
before frost, when cutting is advisable, but it is very essential 
that there be a good protection for winter. For this reason, 
pasturing must be done very carefully. Alfalfa should not be 
pastured at all until the third year, and then not late in the 
fall. If it is pastured too close, coarse manure or rotted straw 
should be spread over it for protection. This can be raked off 
if found to be too heavy, but harrowing in the spring so as to 
evenly distribute the manure will usually be all that is necessary. 



Seed Both Ways 17 



Inoculating Soil for Alfalfa Growing 

There is no doubt but that a share of the difficulty in start- 
ing - alfalfa is due to the absence from the soil of a sufficient 
number of virile nodule-forming bacteria peculiar to the alfalfa 
plant, but it mast be remembered that these bacteria grow or 
live on the alfalfa roots, and that their presence in no way 
affects the starting of the alfalfa plant. The same conditions — a 
sweet, fertile soil, moisture, and warmth — which are necessary 
to the starting of alfalfa, also promote the growth of these 
bacteria. 

These nodule-forming bacteria are essential to the alfalfa, 
and in most instances, unless the land has grown alfalfa, artifi- 
cial inoculation should be resorted to. Inoculation is so essen- 
tial, that the first field planted on the farm, or a part of it at 
least, should have an application of alfalfa bacteria. It is be- 
cause of the absence of sufficient bacteria in the soil that very 
often an apparently good start of alfalfa is slow in gaining 
headway, requiring two or three years as previously referred to. 

Sweet clover, either white or yellow, apparently has the same 
kind of bacteria in the root nodules as alfalfa, hence in localities 
where sweet clover grows wild, inoculation djes not seem to 
be necessary. In localities where sweet clover does not grow, 
and alfalfa is not grown to any extent, artificial inoculation 
should be resorted to. 

Methods of Inoculation 

There are two sources of securing inoculating material. The 
most convenient method is by using the pure cultures. These 
are put up in cans, boxes, or bottles, and after manipulating 
according to directions the seed is simply moistened with the 
preparation and allowed to dry, just previous to seeding. When 
properly handled, this method is satisfactory and good results 
are obtained. 

A second method is to secure soil from an old alfalfa field 
that is known to be inoculated, or from where sweet clover 
grows. About 300 pounds of soil per acre if carefully distributed 
either drilled in or sown broadcast and harrowed in is suffi- 
cient. The dirt must be dried for drilling, but it must not be 
exposed to the sun, or the bacteria will be killed. The fertilizer 
attachment for drills is very convenient for this purpose. When 
sown broadcast by hand, it should be sown only on cloudy days 
or after sundown, and harrowed in immediately. This should 
be done just before seeding. Unless the soil is very easily ob- 
tained and work is no consideration, the pure cultures will be 
found most convenient. 



18 A Firm Seed Bed Necessary 

A One Best Method of Starting Alfalfa 

Personal talks with several hundred farmers of the North- 
west who have had experience with alfalfa show that they 
agree in many respects as to the best methods, which may be 
summarized as follows: 

Apply ten or more loads of good manure per acre on good 
clean land, fall plow, and use packer or disk, but do not get 
surface too fine. Disk early in spring, to conserve moisture 
and keep weeds down. Continue such treatment until the 
middle of June. Potato land is preferable to either stubble or 
corn ground, and need not be fall plowed. However, well rotted 
or fine manure should be applied and thoroughly disked in. If 
weeds get started during wet weather, plow as shallow as possi- 
ble and thoroughly pack and harrow before seeding. Sow eight 
to twelve pounds of good Grimm or Montana seed, alone, June 
1st to 15th, and keep weeds cut close the first year. 



Good Seed Important 

It has been so clearly demonstrated by the Experiment 
Station and many individual farmers that it is not safe to plant 
any but the hardy varieties of alfalfa, that it is not worth while 
for any one to do any further experimenting in this regard. 

A great deal of seed is adulterated and contains the seeds of 
noxious weeds. The State Experiment Stations and Depart- 
ment of Agriculture maintain laboratories for testing the purity 
and germination of seeds and there are ample laws to protect 
the purchaser. Dealers or farmers advertising seed are usually 
willing to submit samples which may be sent to the Experiment 
Stations or Department of Agriculture where their purity and 
vitality will be determined free of charge. These samples 
should be asked for early so that there will be ample time for 
tests to be made. The dealer should be told that these samples 
are to be submitted for test and if they prove to be all right, 
you should see to it that you get seed similar to the sample 
which was sent you. 

It is sometimes considerable trouble to the dealer to furnish 
these samples, and to obviate this, he may ask seed inspectors 
to examine his stock and issue a certificate of such examination 
which should be sufficient guarantee to the purchaser. Seed for 
the Northwest must be of the hardy varieties, of strong germi- 
nation, and free from adulterations and noxious weeds. 



Sow on Clean Ground 



19 



Making Alfalfa Hay 

Alfalfa hay is no harder to cure and handle than red clover; 
in fact, the stiffer stems make it somewhat easier to dry and it 
is less liable than the clover to damage in appearance by light 
rains or heavy dews. There are no mysterious signs or acts to 
be mastered in the handling of alfalfa hay. It has been found 
by analysis that the feeding value of the hay is greatest at the 
time when about the first one-tenth of the blooms have appeared. 
The hay becomes woody quite rapidly as it gets older and the 
digestibility of it naturally decreases. 




Side Delivery Rake in an Alfalfa Field 

At the Colorado Experiment Station it was found that the 
cutting affected the protein as follows: 

Stage uf Maturity Protein, percent. 

Coming in bloom, about one-tenth, 18.5 

Half in bloom, 14.6 

In full bloom, 12.9 

It is also noticed that when alfalfa is cut early, the next crop 
starts more readily than if cut later. The appearance of tillers 
or buds in the crown is an indication of time to cut, but this 
must not be considered alone as they are always present. Alfalfa 
six weeks old from seed will show these buds fully developed and 
ready to start growth as soon as the main stems are cut off. 
The stage of maturity and condition of weather are essential 
factors in determining the time to cut. 



Curing Alfalfa Hay 

The leaves of alfalfa contain nearly four times as much pro- 
tein as the steins, a ton of dried alfalfa leaves containing as much 
protein as 2,800 pounds of bran, hence every effort should be 
made to cure the alfalfa in such a way as to save all the leaves 
possible. The method of curing will vary with the condition of 
the crop, ground, and weather. When alfalfa has made a slow 



20 



Alfalfa A Poor Weed Fighter 



growth, and the ground and weather are dry at the time for 
cutting, there is no difficulty in curing. Often, under these 
conditions, it is safe to rake within a few hours after mowing, 
and stack a few hours after the alfalfa has been put in the 
windrows. When alfalfa has made a rapid growth and is rank 
and succulent, and the weather and ground are damp, the prob- 
lem of curing- is a difficult one. It is easy to dry the leaves, but 
the stems will contain much moisture after the leaves are too 







The hay stacker and sweep rakes save labor in handling alfalfa 



dry. Alfalfa hay should become so dry before stacking that 
when a handful of stems are twisted together, no water can be 
squeezed out. 

If the weather is very unfavorable and continues wet so that 
the hay cannot be dried, it may be stacked wet, if the precaution 
is taken to put fifteen to twenty pounds of salt or air-slacked 
lime per ton in the stack as it is put up. In fact, it is probable 
that the hay will be damaged much less by heating in the stack 
than by molding in the shock or windrow. When stacked wet or 
green, the hay may turn a dark brown and will often have an 
odor almost as strong as plug tobacco, but it is relished by stock 
and apparently has lost very little of its feeding value. 



Use Strong Clean Seed 



21 



In handling more than 200 acres of alfalfa in southeastern 
Kansas, where the rainfall was 36 inches and alfalfa makes 4 to 
5 crops a year, in five years only a small portion of one cutting 
on a small field was lost entire. A part of this was overflowed 
and the ground was so soft for nearly a week after the rains that 
it was impossible to get on the fields. As a general practice, 
the hay was stacked within a reasonable length of time after it 
was cut, whether it was dry or not. Hay left in the windrow or 
cocked for a week or ten days during wet weather will mold very 
badly. If put in a stack it will go through a heating process 
which destroys all the mold and leaves the hay in a very palat- 
able condition for stock. It is not advisable to put wet or green 
hay in the mows or sheds because if there is not free access to 




The motor baler handles alfalfa economically 



air, spontaneous combustion is liable to occur. A number of 
large barns have burned from this cause, although the occur- 
rence is rare. 

When a heavy rain occurs immediately after cutting, the hay 
should be raked as soon as the top is dried off. Then as soon as 
the surface of the ground is dried somewhat, the windrows should 
be turned over. It is not advisable to cock hay on wet ground 
as it will dry out much more readily in windrows. In any case 
do not be discouraged because the hay has gotten wet. Stack 
it up and build a fence around it and your cattle and hogs and 
everything else will go through the fence to get to it. 

When there is any large amount of alfalfa hay to be loaded 
and put in the barns, the hay loader should of course be used. 
In this case the hay must be allowed to cure in the windrow. 
The swath loader is not practical for alfalfa as there is too great 
a loss of leaves if the alfalfa is left in the swath until cured. 



22 Stack Wet Alfalfa with Straw 

The balanced grapple fork for unloading wagons is preferable to 
slings or any other device. The side delivery rake, of course, 
gives the best satisfaction for windrowing the hay to be taken 
up with the hay loader. On large fields, the stacking is usually 
done in the field and the sweep rake and stacker used to handle 
the hay. The hay is taken out of the windrow or cock with the 
sweep rakes. This reduces the work to the minimum and if the 
stacking is carefully done and the stack topped with green 
alfalfa or slough grass, there is not a great deal of waste. 

As a general thing, the first cutting is the only one there is 
any trouble in curing. In handling wet alfalfa hay some farmers 
make a practice of putting a couple of feet of dry straw at the 
bottom, then alternating a load of alfalfa hay and straw until 
the stack is complete. The wet or green alfalfa will impart its 
taste and odor to the straw and the stock will eat the straw 
almost as readily as the aifalfa. 

Another method of curing green or wet alfalfa hay when a 
large barn is available is to spread the hay out about 2 or 3 feet 
deep over the floor. It will not heat to speak of, and after this 
is dried, the next cutting can be put on top of it. Stack 
bottoms of brush or rails should always be built to stack on, as 
this saves a lot of hay. Cock covers of canvas are used by many 
and give excellent satisfaction in protecting the hay while cur- 
ing in the cock. 

TREATMENT OF OLD ALFALFA 

Cultivation 

There is a possibility of weeds and grasses coming in to some 
extent, but these can be overcome largely and the yield of alfalfa 
increased by cultivation. Those who are not accustomed to 
handling alfalfa will be greatly surprised at the amount of cul- 
tivating that can be done on an alfalfa field to its advantage. 
Fields that have been pastured and apparently thinned out, can 
be disked both ways with a sharp disk set to cut to its full 
extent, then harrowed, and the crop be greatly benefited by the 
treatment. 

It would appear to those who have never tried it that such 
treatment would destroy the alfalfa, but it will not. In the 
drier section of the alfalfa regions it is a quite common practice 
to disk and harrow the alfalfa after each cutting to destroy 
weeds and conserve moisture. Besides the disk harrow there is a 
tool made expressly for this purpose, known as the "alfalfa 
renovator." This is similar to the disk harrow except that 
spikes take the place of disks. The spring tooth harrow is 



Harrow After Cutting 23 

also a very valuable tool for cultivating the alfalfa and it is 
claimed by many that the spring teeth will dodge around the 
plants and do the cultivating without injuring the crowns to 
the extent that the disk harrow does. 

Old fields of alfalfa should at least have a cultivation with 
disk and harrow in the spring as soon as the ground is dry enough. 
If possible, such cultivation should be before there is any growth 
started. Occasionally, fields are seeded too thick and it is desired 
to thin them. This can be done by running furrows through 
the alfalfa with a sulky plow, one to two feet apart, and then 
cross-harrowing until the ground is level again. One-half to 
one-third of the plants can be cut out in this way. In the seed- 
producing regions this is quite often a good practice. 

Old alfalfa fields respond very readily to applications of well 
rotted barnyard manure. This should be applied during the 
fall or winter and disked and harrowed in in the spring. The 
applications should be light and frequent so as not to be raked 
up with the hay crop. There is perhaps no crop grown on the 
farm that will give better returns for the labor expended in 
such treatment than alfalfa. 

Alfalfa a Soil Renovator 

The first comment usually made on seeing for the first time, 
the enormous roots of old alfalfa is, "It certainly must loosen 
up the soil." This is true. Alfalfa roots have been dug out 
that have penetrated the soil 30 feet. On the College farm in 
Kansas the writer helped dig out a plant just six months old 
from seed, and it had penetrated the soil six feet. Alfalfa six 
weeks old from seed at the I H C farm, Grand Forks, N. D., had 
penetrated 29 inches. The total length of these plants was 42 
inches, or just one inch per day from the time the seed was 
planted. 

To those not familiar with it, the extent of the alfalfa root 
system is almost unbelievable. Certainly no one will doubt the 
beneficial effect of the decaying of these large roots in the soil. 
As the larger part of the alfalfa root system is below the feeding 
range of ordinary plants, the surface soil is resting and really 
gaining in fertility during the time it is in alfalfa. Alfalfa is a 
great silent subsoiler, equal in efficiency to tractors or dynamite. 

Alfalfa as a Seed Crop 

The fact that alfalfa seed has sold in the vicinity of twenty 
cents a pound for a number of years, makes the production of 
seed very attractive. The true Grimm alfalfa has been sell- 
ing at $1.00 a pound and there seems to be as keen a demand 



24 Spring Tooth Harrow Best 

as ever. There certainly is a great profit in alfalfa seed at these 
prices and there is no reason why the production should not be 
increased. Alfalfa does not always seed regularly, the reasons 
for which are somewhat "hard to give. 

It is noticeable that it seeds heaviest during hot, dry seasons. 
Too much rainfall seems in some way to hinder the formation 
of the seed. For this reason it is probable that the seed-pro- 
ducing area will remain in the drier or so-called semi-arid regions. 
However, this year (1913), seed seems to be forming well in north- 
ern Minnesota and the northern part of North Dakota. 

There is no doubt but that the seed production is influenced 
to a considerable extent by the number of bumble bees or honey 
bees which may visit the blossoms. Experiments conducted by 
Prof. C. B. Waldron at Dickinson, S. D., show this very conclu- 
sively. The anthers and stigma of the alfalfa flower are enclosed 
in glumes which apparently do not always open voluntarily. A 
light hail storm, heavy winds or the threshing of the blossoms 
by the wings of bees or any other means, may cause them to 
open so that they may become fertile and produce seed. If 
these glumes do not open and allow the pollen to come in con- 
tact with the stigma during the receptive period, the bloom 
drops off and there is no seed pod formed. 

In portions of the West, and in South Dakota, artificial means 
are resorted to, to trip the flowers. This is done by a revolving 
reel or by hanging a 2x4 under a buggy so that it will just 
strike the flowers and then driving over the field at a rapid 
pace. This feature of seed production is as yet not fully worked 
out. When it is, it may be possible to increase the amount of 
seed produced. 

What Crop to Leave for Seed 

What crop to leave for seed is an open question, but it is 
probable that in the northern part of the United States, the 
first should be left. The second crop is liable to be too late in 
maturing to give the alfalfa sufficient chance for making growth 
enough to protect it during winter. The alfalfa should be 
carefully watched and if it is seen that many of the flowers are 
falling off and not forming pods, the field may as well be cut for 
hay immediately and avoid further retarding the succeeding 
growth. The proper time to cut the seed crop must be deter- 
mined by observing the pods. As they do not all ripen at once, 
it is impossible to delay the cutting until all are ripe. 

The length of the season might also determine the time of 
cutting to some extent. When about three-fourths of the pods 
are a golden brown is perhaps as safe a rule as any to go by. 



Inoculation Insures Success 25 

The usual method is to cut with a mowing - machine, using a 
clover buncher attachment to gather up the crop. The binder 
is also used by taking off the binder attachment and allowing 
the alfalfa to be thrown off loose onto the bundle carrier until 
good sized bunches are collected. The self-rake is also a very 
satisfactory means of collecting the seed. 

In many instances the crop may be too short for anything but 
the mowing machine and if it is not possible to get a clover 
buncher, it may be cut and raked similar to hay. The raking 
should be done soon after cutting so that there will be the least 
possible amount of shattering due to driving over the crop. 

It is a general practice to leave the seed crop in windrows 
until thoroughly dry, then thresh immediately. If this is not 
possible, the alfalfa may be stacked in long", narrow stacks, but 
great care should be taken that it is so dry that it will not heat 
in the stacks as this will damage the seed. A good bottom of 
brush or poles should be built on which to stack the alfalfa so 
that it will not draw dampness from the ground. 

Threshing Seed 

The clover huller or special alfalfa huller, of course will give 
best results in threshing, but the ordinary separator is used to a 
large extent. If corrugated teeth are put in the concaves and 
these set up close and the machine fed rather slowly so that any 
pods which are not at first broken open will come back through 
the tailings elevator into the cylinder again, a satisfactory job 
can be done. After threshing, the seed should be run through a 
fanning mill to put it in good shape. If there are a considerable 
number of pods still unthreshed, these may be run through an 
ordinary feed grinder with the burrs set so as not to crack the 
alfalfa seed, and in this way practically every seed recovered. 

It is probable that the growing of alfalfa seed will be greatly 
increased, now that the practice of planting it in rows and giv- 
ing some cultivation has been resorted to. For seed production 
it appears that the ordinary sowings are too thick ; that when 
individual plants are isolated and given a chance they produce 
as much as an ounce of seed. The best method is doubtless 
that which has been previously described under "Methods of 
Seeding." 

Transplanting Alfalfa 

One would hardly suppose that a plant with such a root sys- 
tem as alfalfa has, could be easily transplanted, but it is trans- 
planted with good results and the practice has gained consider- 



26 



Leave Fall Growth for Winter Protection 



able favor in South Dakota. Year-old plants are usually trans- 
planted, having been taken up in the fall and kept dormant 
until time to transplant. On the I H C farm at Grand Forks, 
4,000 plants were set May 9th, 1913. These plants were year- 
olds, raised by A. B. Lyman, of Excelsior, Minn. The plants 
were dug, or plowed up, May 6th, put into bushel baskets, and 
shipped by express. 

The land had already been prepared and the rows marked 
out with a small plow three and one-half feet apart. With a hoe 
or spade, holes were opened for the plants about two and one-half 
feet apart in the row, the plants set by hand, and not watered. 
The plants were set a little deeper than they grew previously. 
Notwithstanding the very dry weather, a quite satisfactory 
percentage of the plants grew. Adjacent to the transplanted 
acre, we put out an acre, drilling the seed with garden seeder, 
rows three and one-half feet apart. When these plants were 




Grimm alfalfa plants transplanted — second growth first year — 
just beginning to bloom 

five weeks old, we took enough to replant what did not start 
on the transplanted acre. We did this just after a rain, and 
took no more precautions than we would in handling cabbage 
plants — in fact, handled them similarly, but, as the soil was 
moist, did not water them after planting-. 

Nearly all of the young plants transplanted, grew, which was 
not expected. The transplanted plants made a slow growth up 
to July 1st. Some of them began blooming and were cut off 
about June 25th. By July 25th, there was a much heavier 
growth and all the plants were again cut, except three rows 



Enemies of Alfalfa 27 



which were left for observation. These made a big growth and 
seeded heavily. August 15th, some ripe seed was collected and 
planted and now a second generation is growing. Many of the 
plants were over two feet high and when collected made a 
bunch that could no more than be spanned by the thumb and 
lingers of one hand. 

For seed production, this system has gained much favor in 
the drier sections. A machine for transplanting is being per- 
fected at the South Dakota Agricultural College. Prof. N. E. 
Hanson was first to transplant alfalfa, and is a very strong 
advocate of this system. The growth that will result from a 
single plant, when cultivated and given the use of five or six 
square feet of soil, is very remarkable. Every farmer not 
familiar with alfalfa should secure 100 Grimm plants and set 
them in a corner of the garden and give careful cultivation. 
Single plants have produced more than an ounce of seed. 

ALFALFA ENEMIES 
The Enemies of Alfalfa are Few 

Alfalfa is subject to leaf spot or what is commonly called 
rust. This does not occur frequently, but when it does, it 
should receive prompt attention. The first warning is the 
appearance of small black spots on the leaves. Later these 
leaves turn yellow and the patches in the field where this starts 
become larger, and the growth is greatly retarded. Bloom 
seldom appears after rust has gained any headway. The remedy 
is very simple and easily applied — mow the alfalfa as soon as 
possible after the rust appears, and remove the cutting. 

There are other alfalfa diseases, but they are infrequent and 
of little consequence. Occasionally, young alfalfa is damaged by 
the blister beetle, and grasshoppers are apt to cause some dam- 
age. The blister beetle and the grasshopper can be destroyed 
by spraying with Paris green. Grasshoppers are easily killed by 
use of a "hopper dozer" and poison baits, which are f ully de- 
- scribed in many of the bulletins published. 

Squirrels and pocket gophers often damage alfalfa by throw- 
ing up mounds of dirt which interfere with harvesting. These 
animals can be poisoned. The gophers are fond of potatoes, sweet 
potatoes, or apples and the presence of strychnine in these does 
not seem to deter them from eating the fruit. Take an ordin- 
ary potato and cut it into small pieces somewhat smaller than 
for planting purposes, or use small potatoes. With a thin knife 
slit the piece of potato and insert into this slit a crystal of sul- 
phate of strychnine about one-half the size of a grain of wheat. 



28 Enemies of Alfalfa 



Sulphate of strychnine can be bought of any druggist, in small 
bottles. The 25-cent size will furnish enough strychnine to kill 
the gophers on 100 acres. 

It is well to prepare the potato bait as above described, a few 
hours before it is to be put out. Evening is probably the best 
time to distribute the poisoned potatoes as the gophers work 
during the night or early morning. Sharpen an ordinary broom 
stick or old fork handle at one end. If there is a great deal of 
this work to be done, a tool may be made for the purpose, on 
which there is a place to set the foot to press it into the ground. 

With the sharp stick, find the newest made mounds and by 
pushing the stick into the ground, locate the runway. The 
pieces of potato should be small enough to drop through the hole 
made by the stick, into the runway. It has been found best to 
leave these holes open as the gopher will be attracted by the 
light and thus discover the bait more readily. 

By going over the fields a few times, a week or so apart, it is 
possible to get rid of practically every gopher in the field. This 
had better be done early in the spring as the gophers are more 
hungry then and will eat the bait more greedily. Occasionally a 
gopher will not get enough to kill it and he will not touch the 
bait again. If after two or three applications of different baits, 
he still continues operations, it may be possible to get him in a 
trap. This method is so successful that there is absolutely no 
excuse for permitting an alfalfa field to be overrun by gophers. 

In the western part of the country the prairie dog may cause 
some trouble. These are easily destroyed by the use of carbon 
bisulphate or poison, directions for using which will be given on 
inquiry. 

PLOWING UP ALFALFA 

One of the first questions asked by those who are not familiar 
with alfalfa is as to how such a strong routed plant can be 
destroyed when once established. 

Under ordinary circumstances, alfalfa will doubtless produce 
for ten years, although for the sake of rotations it should be . 
sown more frequently. With a good sharp gang plow, plowing 
3i to 4 inches deep, there is little or no difficulty in plowing it 
up. It will require perhaps one-fourth more power if the stand 
is quite thick. Alfalfa is usually pastured for a year or so before 
it is plowed up. This weakens the plants to some extent and 
the field is more easily plowed up. If the ground is wet when 
plowed and is worked down, it is not uncommon for a good 
many plants to continue growing. This may be overcome by 
plowing the alfalfa up after the last cutting- in summer when 



Save the Alfalfa Leaves 29 

the land is usually dry and leaving the ground for some time 
without working down. 

Another practice is to plow the ground only about three 
inches deep and then immediately harrow with a peg tooth 
harrow. This will drag out practically all the roots. After they 
have been exposed for a week or ten days, the land may be 
plowed six to eight inches deep and these crowns turned under. 
They are very rich in fertility and should not be raked off the 
field. If the ground is to be put into small grain, they of course 
would not interfere very greatly with the seeding and may be 
left on the field. 

ALFALFA IN ROTATION 

Alfalfa is not considered adapted to use in rotations, but 
there is very little ground for this assumption. It is just as 
easy to start as red clover, and if the ground is inoculated and in 
proper condition it will make as much growth as red clover. 
Once alfalfa is well established, it is hardly considered practical 
to plow it up for at least five years. 

Being a very deep-rooted plant, alfalfa is able to draw on the 
food supply deep in the soil. This fact renders it more beneficial 
than any other crop as it allows the surface fertility to accumu- 
late for succeeding crops. There are on record many instances 
of the increase in crops following alfalfa. Reports from the 
northwest show the yields of crops following alfalfa to be greatly 
increased, in many cases doubled, depending on the length of 
time the alfalfa was allowed to remain on the field. 

As the price of alfalfa and clover seed is practically the same, 
there is little doubt but that as good or better results will be 
secured by sowing alfalfa in a rotation as are secured with red 
clover. 

Sweet Clover 

There are two varieties of sweet clover that are gaining favor 
as hay and pasture crops, the white and the yellow flowered. 
These plants are closely related to alfalfa, but they are biennials, 
that is, a single plant lives only two years. However, the sweet 
clovers are such persistent seed producers, the seed of such high 
vitality, and the young plants so vigorous, that when once 
established, it appears to live from year to year. The ordinary 
methods of mowing it at random along the roadsides or on 
abandoned or unoccupied lots or fields, has little apparent effect. 

Sweet clover is considered by most farmers as a bad weed. 
It, however, has long had friends who have learned its value, 
and recently, especially in the drier sections and on poor soil, it 



30 Alfalfa Makes Cheap Beef 

is gaining- much favor as a pasture and hay crop. The fact that 
it has a rather repulsive odor and taste, and that stock do not 
eat it to any great extent are the faults usually placed against 
it. However when stock are confined to sweet clover pasture, 
they soon learn to like it and fatten very rapidly, and there 
seems to be no trouble from animals bloating on clover as there 
often is with alfalfa. In Colorado, along the railroads, there 
are many plants of sweet clover that have been eaten off by 
range cattle. In feeding value, alfalfa and sweet clover are 
very nearly equal. 

The white sweet clover seems to give best satisfaction for 
both hay and pasture. For hay, the plants must be cut early — 
about the time the first blooms appear. At this time the 
repulsive odor and taste are not so noticeable as at later stages of 
growth. Early cutting is best, because a second growth will 
come immediately and produce a second cutting or a seed crop. 
The yield of hay is reported to be equal to or greater than alfalfa. 
The handling of a seed crop is somewhat more difficult than 
alfalfa, as it shatters very badly. It is also essential that sweet 
clover be cut high — about four inches — the first time or there 
is danger of killing many of the plants. 

The requirements of sweet clover as to preparation of seed 
bed, method of seeding, amount of seed per acre, etc., are prac- 
tically the same as for alfalfa. It is not probable that sweet 
clover will be found better than alfalfa, where the latter can be 
grown successfully, but in the drier sections or on land that 
does not grow alfalfa readily, it certainly is worth while making 
a trial of sweet clover. The agricultural papers lately have 
published many instances of successful trials of sweet clover. 
For lack of space these are not reproduced here. 

SUMMARY 

1. Alfalfa is being grown successfully in every part of the 
northwest, but is not fully appreciated. 

2. Farmers are rapidly coming to realize that live stock must 
be raised on every farm, and that alfalfa is the surest and best 
feed to be raised. 

3. Alfalfa is not difficult to grow — will withstand more heat 
and drouth than red clover the first year, and when well estab- 
lished on good land will produce crops for many years, almost 
regardless of weather conditions. 

4. The requirements of the alfalfa plant are easily met when 
its nature is understood. The very small seed, producing a 
single tap root, requires: a firm seed bed so that the moisture 
may be brought near the surface; manure for plant food; and 



Sweet Clover 31 



soil from an old field, or pure culture to inoculate the soil. 

5. Grimm alfalfa holds first place as to hardiness. Montana 
is a close second. Only hardy northern grown seed is successful 
in Minnesota and the Dakotas. Do not experiment with south- 
ern grown seed. 

6. Alfalfa growers agree on essentials. Precede alfalfa by a 
cultivated crop, potatoes best— and manure land. Plow deep 
the year previous to conserve moisture. Fall plow and manure. 
Spring plowing should be very shallow, and packer used to firm 
the soil. Disk and harrow to kill weeds until the middle of 
June. If there is plenty of moisture one inch below surface of 
soil, drill eight to twelve pounds of seed per acre alone, or with 
three pecks of beardless barley. If season is dry, cut barley for 
hay before mature. Clip weeds every two weeks, but not so late 
as to leave field bare. If seed is sown broadcast, use sixteen to 
twenty-four pounds per acre. 

7. Cut the alfalfa for hay when one-tenth in bloom. Never 
cut or pasture so late that there is not a good growth for winter 
protection. Save the leaves as they are richer than bran. 

8. Try alfalfa in rows for seed production— give frequent 
cultivation. Transplanting alfalfa has gained much favor — is 
worthy of a careful trial. 

9. Old alfalfa fields need cultivation, disking, renovating, or 
cultivating with spring-tooth harrow. Manuring alfalfa is profit- 
able—try it. It is not safe to pasture cattle or sheep on alfalfa, 
but an alfalfa field is a hog's idea of heaven. 

10. Alfalfa excels every other crop, in yield, in feeding value, 
as a drouth resister, as a soil enricher, is not as difficult to grow 
as clover and gives double the yield. After you have failed as 
often with alfalfa as you have with wheat, try sweet clover. Do 
not expect to know all about this new-old crop at once. It is 
necessary to grow into growing it, but make a beginning and 
Grow Alfalfa. 




ALFALFA LITERA m 

"5" 000 930 389 3 

The following- is a partial list of available alfalfa literature. 

Write some of these addresses for such literature as they issue 
on the subject: 

North Dakota Agricultural College Bulletin, 95-3, Fargo, N. Dak. 

University of Wisconsin, Circular 35, Madison, Wis. 

The Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pa. 

Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 1 13-181, Wooster, Ohio 

Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y. 

University of Missouri, Bulletin 106-40, Columbia, Mo. 

Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 94-120-133-141, Brook- 
ings, S. Dak. 

The University of Minnesota, Bulletin 6-18, University Farm, St. 
Paul, Minn. 

Michigan Agricultural College, Bulletin 271, East Lansing, Mich. 

Agricultural Experiment Station, Circular 36, Lafayette, Inch 

Iowa Experiment Station, Bulletin 137, Ames, Iowa 

University of Illinois, Bulletin 76-134-146, Urbana, 111. 

Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 155-176, Manhattan, Eans. 

"Alfalfa" Farmers' Bulletin 194-339 

Utah State Bulletin No. 126 

U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 

"Alfalfa Growing in Illinois," Bulletin No. 18, H. A. McKeene, Spring- 
field, 111. 

" Alfalfa on Every Farm " 

" Alfalfa in the Corn Belt ** 

Press Page No. 1 
" 2 

" For Better Crops " 

" Alfalfa Growing in Northwest" 

" For More and Hardier Alfalfa in Northwest ** 

Alfalfa Studies (for Schools) 

Lecture Notes for Alfalfa Charts 

I H C Agricultural Extension Department, Harvester Bldg., Chicago, 111. 

" Alfalfa Production," H. G. Bell, Middle West Soil Improvement 
Committee, Chicago, 111. 

"Alfalfa — The Money Crop of the Northwest." The Northwestern 
Line, Chicago, III. 

" Alfalfa in America " (480 Pages, $2.00), Jos. E. Wing, Mechanics- 
burg, Ohio 

"The Book of Alfalfa," F. D. Colburn (344 Pages, $2.00), Topeka, 
Sans. 

"How to Grow Alfalfa in Western Michigan," The Western Rural 
Router, Grand Rapids, Mich. 

For Information on Inoculation, write, Bacteriological Laboratory, 
East Lansing, Mich. 

Note: If we can help you in any other way feel at liberty to 
write us. 



INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY 

AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION DEPT. 

Grand Forks, N. !>.. or Harvester Bldg., Chicago 



!i||i ; i|!ii!ll!'.iiii'iir'iiiiii>ii''ii 

Doam3D 



Holling( 

pH 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




0000^3038^3 



Hollinger Corp. 
pH 8.5 



